Diolch Aran… Any book that does good Welsh phrases not directly translatable into English? I have some I think brb
Sorry to interrupt, but in the mean-time:
Ymarfer/Arfer
Is “arfer”, for “usual” or “usual practice” ever used in common chat, other than in “fel arfer” (usually)?
Absolutely, it’s very common. e.g. more than usual = mwy nag arfer / he would usually do = bydda fo’n arfer gwneud / if we usually talked about being happy = Os oeddan ni’n arfer sôn am fod yn hapus / I usually concentrate on the small details = Dwi’n arfer canolbwyntio ar y manylion bach
8 Likes
Great, thanks Siaron.
Sorry if this is repeating old ground - o’n i’n arfer gweithio gyda cheir - i used to work with cars
4 Likes
[quote=“brynle, post:3345, topic:3153”]
Any book that does good Welsh phrases not directly translatable into English?[/quote]
I have one that I rather like - “Geiriadur Idiomau - A Dictionary of Welsh and English Idiomatic Phrases”
http://www.gwales.com/goto/biblio/en/9780708316566/
2 Likes
I have searched the forum and the website but can’t see an answer.
I have The Welsh North Level 1 on my Android phone.
I can’t find any vocab lists.
I have found the ones for the Level 1 course online but they are not the same.
Where can I find vocab lists for my Android course?
The Android app doesn’t have the vocabulary lists built-in. If you go to the corresponding lesson in a web browser, you should find the vocabulary list there.
1 Like
[quote=“Maxwell, post:3352, topic:3153”]
I have found the ones for the Level 1 course online but they are not the same.
Where can I find vocab lists for my Android course?[/quote]
The Android courses are the same as the ones online. Just make sure you aren’t looking at “Course 1” in one place and “Level 1” in the other! Course One was the old course, and the units are called Lessons. Level One is the new course, where the units are called Challenges. They aren’t the same. Both are available in the Android app.
2 Likes
Many thanks. I had been looking at the ‘old course’ !
1 Like
Which of the following are acceptable?
- Philip dw i
- Philip ydw i
- Philip rydw i
For some reason, Philip ydw i sounds right to me but another part of me wonders whether ydw isn’t only in questions? Or is it also used in “emphatic” sentences where a noun or adjective comes first, as with ydy in Caerdydd ydy prifddinas Cymru?
They are all technically correct and acceptable because dw is a contraction of ydw which is itself a contraction of rydw, but dw is the most colloquial form and rydw is the most formal form (and ydw is somewhere in between).
Ydw, however, is the only one you’d use in the question form.
1 Like
So Philip ydw i is the form he’d use if he’s not sure…? 
3 Likes
Oh good, thank you for the confirmation @siaronjames!
I think I’ll keep using Philip ydw i then as that feels best somehow 
1 Like
Philip ydw i - Philip dwi is just an abbreviation of that - and Philip rydw i is wrong…
2 Likes
For time checks, I notice Kate Crockett saying “Maen [time] erbyn hyn” for it’s [time] now, I guess. Is this ok for normal speech for time and other things that have been accumulated (by now) or is it slightly too formal?
Phillip ydw i is the one I would use in writing and speaking but I have to admit that nowadays it comes out sounding a bit more like Nicky Dw i
1 Like
I have heard/read Roeddent yn (siarad) & Roedden nhw’n (siarad)?
What is the difference, if any?
Are there circumstances in which one is more appropriate than the other?
1 Like
[quote=“Pererin, post:3363, topic:3153”]
I have heard/read Roeddent yn (siarad) & Roedden nhw’n (siarad)? [/quote]
Hmm… I don’t believe I’ve ever seen (or heard) the word roeddent. The phrase roedden nhw’n siarad would be “they were speaking” (or “they used to speak”) - imperfect tense, 3rd person plural. And roeddet ti’n siarad would be “you were speaking” (or “you used to speak”) - 2nd person singular (familiar). But with the ‘n’ in the word, I don’t have a clue, unless it is some sort of contraction of the latter.